With A Kiss
by That'sMyFiasco
Summary: A sort of What If scenario... Short, fluffy, InuKag.


With A Kiss

by That'sMyFiasco

Yet another ficlet-turned-oneshot. I have no self-control, I really don't.

Disclaimer: I have... (_checks pockets_) a quarter, some lint, a tube of lip gloss, and this pretty gold ring I found in this cave the other day. As that is not enough to purchase Inuyasha, I don't own him. Yet.

* * *

_It was her birthday- her eighteenth, in fact. And with the special date came the usual argument- Kagome had plans with her family, and Inuyasha wanted her to stay with them. The rest of the little band looked on as the hanyou and the miko faced off, angry poses mirroring each other. Miroku sat next to Sango, the warm skin on his hand pressed against her own. The tajiya was not in her armor- the July day was too warm, and no immediate danger threatened. Inuyasha and Kagome's voices rang out through the hazy sunlight._

"_It's my birthday!! I want to spend some time with my family! Besides, the jewel is finished, it's not as if you need me anymore!" _

_Inuyasha glared at Kagome. "Yeah, Naraku may be gone, but there are a thousand demons trying to take his place! We need your purifying arrows!" He crossed his arms in defiance, but he had to know what was coming._

"_SIT! Argh! You NEVER understand ANYTHING! I'll be back in a couple days!" And off she went, without even a goodbye. Inuyasha didn't try and stop her._

* * *

The pen's clatter startled Kagome as it dropped down to the desk. She heaved a sigh and put her hands over her face. Behind her, the heater slowly whirred to life in an effort to combat the growing chill outside. Beyond her window golden-brown leaves from Goshinbuko drifted down, noiseless but for a slight crackling as they brushed against the cool glass. 

Lifting her head from her hands, Kagome stared out the window, a blank expression on her face. _Autumn. Already. _In the darkness, bits of gold caught the light from her room, and shone in contrast to the night. _Gold. Just like his eyes. But no- those are cold and flat. His eyes are warm, and sparkling, and- _

An instant later, she was on her feet, stocking feet slipping silently across the cold floor. Rummaging through her top dresser drawer, shirts flew every which way as she finally pulled up the coveted item- one small envelope. After smoothing out an invisible crease in the thick paper, she slowly walked back over to her desk, expression blank. _Don't... don't think. The letter's written, you're done. Wait until tomorrow, and write again. You told yourself not to think too much. _She shook her head and sat back down, sitting rigidly in her straight-backed chair. Fluidly, with movements more graceful than any thus far, she methodically folded a few sheets of scrawl-filled paper into thirds.

Outside, the wind whistled softly, causing Kagome to glance up for a moment before dropping her eyes back down to her precious letter. Picking it up in two slim hands, she looked around shyly before pressing her lips to the signature. A hint of scarlet touched her cheeks as she hastily slipped the papers into her envelope and sealed it off, with a small portion of the wax Miroku had given her what seemed like ages ago. _Don't be silly, it wasn't ages... just 500 years... Hardly an age... _Kagome shrugged to herself. _But it feels like an age._

_Argh_. Shaking her head, she lifted the small envelope off the desk, keeping it tight in her hand as she shrugged into a coat. After slipping on some mittens and double-checking to make sure that the envelope was safe, she ran out of the house, pausing only a moment to step into some shoes. The screen door crashed against the door-frame with a bang, and Kagome ran off across the yard.

Stepping softly, her shoes made slight imprints in the grass, the soles getting a little damp from the wet grass. Entering the well house, Kagome glanced down the well for a moment, staring blankly into the black. Irritated, she shook her head, flinging her bangs out of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she held the letter up, and couldn't help herself- she kissed it once more before dropping it into the well. When she ran out of the well house, she didn't look back.

* * *

Some days later, Kagome was curled up by her window, starlight shining faintly with the absence of the moon. An untouched cup of tea was slowly going cold in her thin hands. She unconciously shuddered slightly from the cold that was emanating from the window- ever since that day, it had been no problem pretending to be sick. Pity she didn't need to any more. 

Suddenly, a flash of red outside caught her eye. In an instant she was on her feet, mug in pieces on the floor, tea soaking into the pillow. Innocently, a little red-breasted bird hopped into view, crimson feathers ruffled in the breeze. Kagome bit her lip and knelt down, starting to pick up the broken pieces of pottery, wincing as one sharp edge sliced open the pad of her thumb. Sticking the offended finger in her mouth, Kagome went to grab a towel. Stupid bird.

* * *

Some hours later, Kagome was at her desk, pen scratching across the rough paper. Looking down at the homemade stuff, she half-smiled, half-grimaced. It was a pain to make her own paper, even with the kits- but it was worth it. Inuyasha hated the stench of chemicals that came with the processed sheets. After signing her name to the bottom in a smooth motion, she picked up the fragile sheets and creased them carefully, lining up the edges as precisely as possible. In the process, one uneven edge of the paper scraped over her thumb, causing a few drops of crimson blood to stain the paper, unseen by Kagome. The girl slipped the letter into an envelope and sealed it off, pressing her lips to the still-warm wax. Glancing at the clock, she grabbed her coat and ran out of the house. 

Once at the well house, she slipped inside, pulling her coat tighter around her and a breeze swept around her. Stepping over to the well, she dropped the letter inside, a bitter smile on her face. Kagome lifted up her chin and turned around, brushing a lone tear off her cheek. As she left, a blue glow shone in the bottom of the well, and disappeared.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome slowly woke up, something warm and soft under her cheek. At first, she only peeked out from under her eyelids, but in an instant her eyes flew open wide, her mouth forming a round "o". She was lying on her bed, but beneath her was Inuyasha, fast asleep, with his arms locked around her waist. Her own hands held on tight to him- one clenching his robe, the other buried somewhere in his long, silver locks. She let her eyes rove over his face- the nose, the lips, the delicate lashes, his eyes, opening, looking down at her- 

"Oh," she whimpered, and hid her face in his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, steadily pounding beneath his skin. Softly, gently, two clawed fingers were placed under her chin, making her lift her now-teary eyes up to his, a thousand times more golden and vibrant than she remembered. He smiled down at her, and the tears finally spilled over. Inuyasha frowned, and leaned down, touching his tongue to her cheek and licking away her tears.

"Hey," he said gruffly, still looking into her eyes. "Are you that sad to see me?"

This only served to make her cry harder, and she ducked her head once more. "I-" she cleared her throat, and started over- "I just missed you. A lot." The hanyou smiled and pushed her hair out of her eyes. But as Kagome started to realize that this _wasn't _just another dream, relief quickly turned to anger. Fire snapped in her blue eyes as she looked up at Inuyasha.

"Why didn't you come get me? I couldn't get through! _I waited for you!_" She tried to sit up, but was stopped by his arms, still wrapped around her. He smiled again, though this time a little bitterly, and pulled up a pile of paper from where it lay on the floor. Kagome couldn't help blushing a little as she saw all her letters, carefully preserved, some of the older ones a little tattered around the edges, as if from much wear. Words she had written came back to her in a flash... _I love you...I miss you...I wish I was home with you...I'm sorry..._

He looked down at her, eyes weary. "I tried." He too cleared his throat, and a touch of pink coloured his cheeks. "I guess the well didn't want to open once the jewel was whole again. I don't know why the letters got through- maybe it was the wax you used. Miroku said that he was the one who gave it to you. But then this last one came through, and Kaede said to try again. So I did, and-" Inuyasha stopped, and shook his head. "I don't really know why it worked then, but I'm-"

He paused again, light sparking in his eyes; and without another word, one hand was pressed to the back of Kagome's neck, pulling her down until her lips met his. And every thought that might have been going through Kagome's head was lost, lost to the silkiness of his hair and the woodsy smell of his robe and the feel of his hand on her neck, and the unexpected softness of his lips.

After a few seemingly endless moments, Kagome pulled away slightly, catching her breath. Even though he had been the one who kissed her, a look of surprise was on the hanyou's face, his eyes wide. Kagome's lips curled upward, and she laughed breathily. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye."

His only answer was to press his lips to hers.

* * *

Fin 


End file.
